Not for the faint of heart.
US and Thai marines swallowed cobra blood straight from a severed snakes mouth during annual jungle survival training.
Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises in Asia attracting thousands of troops from the US, Thailand and South Korea.
The training, now in its 37th year, last for 10 days and trials include slurping snake blood, eating geckos and removing venom from scorpions and tarantulas.
A trial which consisted of drinking severed cobra blood and then grilling and eating the snakes took place today on a Thai navy base in Chonburi province.
US and Thai marines swallowed cobra blood straight from a severed snakes mouth during annual jungle survival training
Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises in Asia attracting thousands of troops from the US, Thailand and South Korea
Being stuck in a jungle is a real-life situation that the troops might be stuck in at some point in the future and the war drills prepare them for that.
The marines were also taught how to find water in jungle vines and identify edible plants by military trainers.
The boot camp in Thailand’s Chonburi province includes humanitarian components such as evacuation drills, as well as traditional military exercises such as an amphibious vehicle landing drill.
The training, now in its 37th year, last for 10 days and trials include slurping snake blood, eating geckos and removing venom from scorpions and tarantulas
Being stuck in a jungle is a real-life situation that the troops might be stuck in at some point in the future and the war drills prepare them for that by completing the trials
Some 11,075 troops from 29 countries including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore also participated in this year’s drills.
Thai Sergeant Major Chaiwat Ladsin, who led the drill that also saw the marines take bites of a raw gecko, said: ‘The key to survival is knowing what to eat.’
After the training US Sergeant Christopher Fiffie, said: ‘Definitely my first time drinking snake blood… It’s not something we do too often in America.’
He added: ‘I think I’ll be able to hold my own out there.’
This years attendance at the Cobra Gold exercise attracted double the amount of US personnel compared to last year.
A trial which consisted of drinking severed cobra blood and then grilling and eating the snakes took place today on a Thai navy base in Chonburi province
Some 11,075 troops from 29 countries including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore also participated in this year’s drills
The 6,8000 marines in attendance were the latest sign of warming relations between the two allies.
A 2014 army coup in Thailand tested ties with Washington, which urged a return to democracy and scaled back military aid.
But the two countries have upped their engagement under US President Donald Trump, who has taken a softer stance on human rights issues and even embraced Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha in…